Reunited
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: The girls have graduated from collage, and they are having a little reunion. *Due to requests, the story will be continued!* Serena and Darien are back together after Jedite's defeat, but now a new foe shows up and threatens to tear the two apart. / After the reunion, a new and more dangerous foe appears, and it brings out the darker side of the darkest spectrum in the world...
1. Chapter 1

The day was reaching the noon hour, the birds were chirping, the sun was out, and the weather was more than perfect for a summer day. It wasn't hot, and that came as a bit of a surprise to Luna. She was concerned for the weather; being a cat a humid day was not the way to enjoy the summer. Her fur would make her temper flare up in into the Celsius level. But, she could put that aside for today. For today was different. Today was special, very special for one reason.

Serena was coming home today.

That was why she was at the bus stop, waiting for Artemis to show up. It had been planned a few days ago that Luna and Artemis would get the Scouts together and be supportive of Serena's return. Poor Artemis had to travel to other cities like Yokohama, Nagoya, and even to Nagasaki to get Ami, Rei, and Lita. He complained, but Luna threatened to scratch his face off should he not do what he was told.

Mina hadn't too hard to find due to the fact she never left Tokyo after graduation. Artemis remained with Mina, and Luna stayed with Serena's parents, since the school she attended wouldn't allow pets.

And since then, the Scouts had remained normal. No foes appeared to disrupt the peace they were to defend, and no Negaverse minions appeared either. All was quiet on Earth.

And Luna, though she was not too eager to admit it, missed the old days of fighting evil and even lecturing Serena on how to be the Sailor Scout of the Moon.

_How those days seem like an eternity now that the Scouts are all grown up. I'm sure the Moon Crystal is getting rusty; it's been years since it was last used._

As Luna walked to the bus stop, she caught sight of Artemis. And he wasn't alone. He was with a girl with long blond hair, wearing appropriate summer wear of shorts and a white T-shirt with the Sailor V character on the front. "Luna!"

"Mina?" Luna had to shake her head to make sure she was seeing things right. Even though Mina had remained in the city since after high school ended, she had been somewhat determined in her studies and remained busy right until the end of the school year. But, Luna could not see Rei, Ami, or Lita nearby. "I see you did your job, at least a fourth of it, Artemis."

The white cat's head hung low, "Thanks for the vote of confidence…"

Mina scratched behind his ear, "Its alright Luna. The others will be here soon, I spoke to Rei and she has Lita and Ami with her on their way here."

_Good job Mina!_

"And yet…I think there's someone we haven't talked to in awhile. You know who I am talking about, right Luna?" Mina said, slightly worried.

Luna knew what she was talking about, and nodded sadly, "Yes…he hasn't replied to any of our calls…"

Artemis looked at both of them, "You mean Darien? I wonder what he's been up to?"

Luna remembered that Darien had gone to America for his schooling, somewhere in a place called San Francisco, California. She had not seen nor heard from him for two years. The only way she knew he was doing alright was by mail, the last one Luna had received was dated a week ago, saying he would try to be back to see Serena.

That was a week ago, and he still had not returned. _Serena is going to be so upset, _Luna thought sadly. Those two were virtually inseparable before they went to school, and they had even been engaged before Darien had left for the States, though it had not been official to anyone outside the circle.

Luna could swear she heard Serena sniffing, before she would start balling.

_But Serena wasn't here yet, is she?_ The cat turned around, and saw a familiar face. Three familiar faces to be exact.

A tall brunette haired girl, "Hey Luna, long time no see."

"Lita? Is that…you?"

"You bet it is. Despite being away for so long, I'm still me. But I'm not alone," Lita replied as Ami and Rei stepped out from behind her. Luna was very surprised that she recognized the girls. Though they were no longer girls but young women who were different than in their teenage years, they appeared very much the same in terms of appearance.

Rei spoke first, "Luna! So good to see you!"

Ami nodded, "A great pleasure it is."

Luna meowed in delight, and tears started to well up in her little eyes, "This is a very…heart warming reunion...Scouts." All the girls smiled and nodded.

Luna swore to herself that she was going to cry. But one thing kept her from shedding any tears. _I'll save the tears for Serena's arrival_.

As Tears of joy and smiles were being shown between old friends, Jedite was mellowing in the darkness. With Queen Beryl defeated, and the Negaverse destroyed, he was free from both of their influence. His powers, or what remained of it, were all he had left from when Beryl took from him and encased him in crystal.

_Sealed because of those sailor scouts!_ The defeat at the hands of Sailor Moon, Mars and Mercury, as well as that Tuxedo Mask character still lingered in his mind. Fresh as if it happened yesterday. Ever since then, he swore he'd get his revenge. And now that he was free, revenge would come in sweet time.

But first, Jedite knew he had to get the energy to reinvigorate himself first.

Then, the Sailor Scouts would taste defeat by his hands…

The bus that Serena was on would be appearing at her stop any minute, and everyone was anxiously waiting for her.

That was what Serena hoped. She hadn't seen anyone in quite a long time, unable to leave during Christmas due to bad weather. Every day since then it was hard for her to contain the excitement she had to see everyone. Luna, Artemis, Rei, Ami, Mina, Lita…

And, of course, Darien…

As the bus came to a halt, Serena tried to look out the window to see if everyone was there, but she got forced forward, and lost amidst the crowd. It wasn't until she tripped outside the door, as the last one off the bus no less, that her face met pavement. Still a klutz, even after so long.

She rubbed the back of her head, even though her face hurt the most from the fall she was more embarrassed with her predicament, "Owwie…!"

"Still a klutz meatball head?"

Serena sat up, shaking her fist, and looked right at the person who had called her least favorite name ever, "Oh shut up you-!"

And Rei was smiling down at her.

"Rei!" Serena stood up, and saw the others as well, all smiling at her. The joy Serena had started to swell up in her as she looked at her friends, even Artemis and Luna could sense how happy everyone was. Especially Serena, who looked so overjoyed that she was about to cry!

Rei, however, was not too happy about that notion, "Serena! Don't start balling when we've only been back together for less than a minute!"

But Serena ignored her, embracing the one Scout who normally called her a brat, and finally started to cry, "Oh Rei! Why do you always have to be so MEAN!"

Rei didn't reply, returning the hug with a smile. Everyone joined in as well, and Lita made the remark that everyone agreed with as they joined in a group hug, "Friends never change…"


	2. Chapter 2

Later, the five went to a restaurant to celebrate their reunion.

True to what Lita said at the bus stop, Serena still ate like a starved dog like she used to, though it was in a more controlled manner than when she had first met the blond Moon girl.

Everyone had something to talk about. What kind of classes they were taking, what they planned to do once they were out of collage, and most importantly: what kind of guys they were dating.

Rei, who had gone out with Chad for a while before he decided to return to the band he had been a part with before he stayed with Rei, had been keeping herself boyfriend-less. Though she would never admit whether it was to take a break from dating or to wait for Chad to come back, Luna guessed it was the latter and not the former.

Mina had kept quiet on the subject, since she was trying to be a model, she got many dates but none of them were serious enough for her to consider long term. Ami too kept quiet, saying she was more interested in her studies. No surprise.

Lita was the only one who appeared to have someone of interest, saying she was going out with a chef from a popular restaurant in Nagasaki. She was only one who had shown interest in a subject like that.

Luna noticed Serena, while she ate most of the time, she was gloomy, "Something wrong Serena?"

Serena looked at Luna, "I was wondering when Darien was going to show up…"

_I was afraid of this…_ "Serena…Mina and I have tried to get a hold of him, but he's failed to return our letters…"

"But…he'll be here, right? He's got to be," Serena replied.

Ami put her milkshake down, "Serena, there's a saying that goes like this: _Love grows when the two are apart. In the end, their love only gets stronger._

Everyone nodded in approval at wise Ami's words.

Rei spoke, "I'm sure he's fine, Serena, we'll all be happy to see him when he does arrive."

"And if he doesn't, we'll hunt him down for you," Lita said with a smile, and everyone giggled.

And while she smiled as well, Serena certainly hoped her prince would arrive.

As the day gave way to night, Jedite stood on the balcony of the famous Tokyo Tower tourist spot overlooking the city with eyes that were bright.

"My plan is set…"

He had used whatever spare Negaforce he had to engulf the ground around the tower. Anyone caught in the tower's vicinity would slowly be drained of energy until they dropped. It wasn't a sneaky plan, but that was the way Jedite had planned it.

For when the humans are threatened, the Scouts will always appear. They did whenever he had tried to gather energy for Queen Beryl. It was because of rotten timing on his part that he had failed so miserably, and that was put to a head when Moon, Mercury, and Mars put a stop to him at Tokyo Airport. It had been after that that Beryl banished him into the darkness for eternity.

And that was the reason he was here. Revenge.

Now, once enough energy is gathered, it will be drained from the humans and enter Jedite himself, filling his own power to the point where nothing would stand in his way! Once the midnight hour started, the drain would continue up until the sun came up.

And with the thought of the scouts lying ay his feet in defeat made Jedite chuckle in delight.

It wasn't until around ten o'clock that Serena and the others arrived at Rei's temple home. Things were hectic, everyone was full from the dinner they had, and some of them were tired. Ami, however, was studying. Lita and Mina were still talking, and Rei was checking on her still goofy grandfather.

All the while Serena was sitting outside, under the cherry trees, looking up at the starlight sky. _Where are you, Darien? I miss you…_

He was the one she had been looking forward to seeing the most. He had been sending her letters and calling her every once in a while (she tried to contact him at least ten times a day, but eventually her phone privileges had been taken away), and she had been expecting him to appear with the others at her stop.

When he hadn't, Serena could barely contain herself, but her friends cheered her up as the day went by. And though they tried, and she did as well, Serena could not shake Darien from her mind. Her future husband.

She had seen that with her own eyes.

Serena would eventually become Neo-Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo, ruling a realm of eternal peace alongside her King Endymion, and the other Scouts as her guardians…she'd even have a daughter named Rini.

All this she would eventually come to know. But as many people would know, what happens in the future is not foregone in conclusion and it can be changed even with the simplest action.

All she could do was hope. Hope for the best and pray for her lover's return. All those who know her would know that she could not live without her love. Ami had told her that: _When the two lovers are parted for a certain amount of time, their love only grows stronger._ She only hoped that was the case.

And since he had said he would meet her at her stop, Serena decided to do what was natural to her, "You want something, go get it yourself.". Without telling the others, she got up and started to run into the city.

"So, I wonder where Darien is," Rei said as Mina and Lita listened.

"Well, it was supposed to be a big surprise. He's supposed to be waiting for her at some special place. His letter said the place would be _Bright, and would hold a special place in our hearts…_" Mina said, revealing the whole plan to everyone in the room.

Luna had not been told of this plan, "So, you all were in on this whole thing? And Serena has been worried sick because of it!"

Ami spoke, "Well, Luna it was a surprise, and we never would have thought that Darien would not show up. Where ever he is, I hope he's alright…"

Rei couldn't help but notice how vague the description from Darien's letter was. I mean, in a city as big as Tokyo, there were many places considered bright, but if it was a place special to Serena and Darien, that made it all the more vague.

Lita had a suggestion, "What if it was a place where something really important happened? Like where they first met?"

Luna shook her head, "According to my memory, Darien and Serena first met in front of Molly's jewelry store, but Artemis was just there. No one outside the door."

As Lita and Mina started naming off places, Ami noticed something once she looked outside, "Where you going Luna?"

The female cat had not gotten far before she stopped, "I'm going for a walk, while I try to think of a way to break the news to Serena of your 'surprise'."

Ami shook her head, "If that's the case, I'll tag along, too."

"What are you two talking about?"

Rei and Mina popped out of nowhere, as did Lita, interest piquing their faces.

Luna conceded defeat, "Alright, and you must explain it to her as well."

Artemis, who happened to be on Mina's shoulder, said, "If we're lucky, maybe Darien will run into us."

Luna took a deep sigh, _if pigs could fly and cats could really talk, Artemis…_

The drain would start any minute now, and Jedite could not wait. Once he started to gather energy, he'd be receiving until he had sucked dry every human in the vicinity. Then, he knew the scouts would definitely be there to try and stop him.

All he had to do was wait another 5 minutes…

The girls started to look for Serna first by checking her favorite hang outs, such as the arcade and the mall. When she didn't appear there, they decided to go about looking at Tokyo Tower.

And Mina and Lita couldn't stop talking about Darien's letter. "Wish he would have made it a little clearer, right?" Mina said to her friend.

Lita agreed, "guess we should have made sure about that detail before setting up this surprise, huh?"

Rei stopped, looking around.

Luna guessed she was looking for Serena, but asked anyway, "What's wrong Rei?"

"I've got…a bad feeling nearby," she said, her voice a little shaky.

The scouts readied themselves, putting up their guards, because they knew whenever Rei said that, the scouts knew trouble was always lurking nearby.

And Mina proved her correct as they saw people lying around the base of the tower.

"Good gracious…" Ami said.

"Who could have done this?" Lita retorted.

Artemis went over to one of the victims. No visible wounds, and he noticed a similarity between it and the others. "Seems their energy has been stolen."

"Stolen?"

Artemis nodded, "Definitely the work of our old foes."

Luna spoke up, "If it's the Negaverse, who would be left? Their Queen has been defeated—"

"That would be me."

Luna and Artemis looked in the direction the voice had come from, and Luna saw who it was and gasped, "Jedite!"

Ami and Rei gasped next, each with shock. Rei's anger went up then, "Guess we didn't finish you off good enough last time!"

"I know its been years since we last met, but Mercury and Mars, but this will end differently than last time," he said, memories of their last fight flashing through his mind.

Mina and Lita stepped forward. Lita put her fists up, "You'll have to deal with us too, creep!"

Mina was also ready to fight, a surge of energy she had not felt in quite some time. Luna saw this. Even though the girls had not fought anything since the defeat of Galaxia, they were still willing to put their lives on the line to fight for Earth.

Jedite was unimpressed, "You are all going to taste a revenge that has been building ever since I was humiliated by you Sailor Scouts! Too bad Sailor Moon isn't here, otherwise I'd have a special dose, just for her!"

Artemis whispered to Luna, "I can…sense his energy rising even as we speak. You feel it too, Luna?"

The female cat nodded, "I can…I'll find Sailor Moon, Artemis. Stay here and help the Scouts!" And with that the cat ran off.

"Just hurry back!" Artemis turned to the other girls, "Hope you all remember how to transform!"

Rei raised her hand, "It may have been years, but I can still fire it up!" Rei held her right hand up, shouting, "Mars Power!" Fire sprouted from the Mars wand and engulfed Rei, changing her nightclothes into the red outfit of the warrior of Mars.

Not to be outdone, Lita put up her hand in the same manner as Rei had, "Time for some physical therapy! Jupiter Power!" Electricity flowed from the Jupiter wand and out of the shocking transformation, Sailor Jupiter emerged, ready to fight.

Closely behind, Ami held up her hand, "This time we'll finish you off for good! Mercury Power!" Water and ice came from the Mercury wand in Ami's outstretched hand and where the mist cleared, Sailor Mercury came from it.

Finally, Mina put her hand up, "Just like old times, Venus Power!" Bright yellow stars whirled around the girl and once they disappeared, Sailor Venus beautifully appeared.

All the girls took a quick look at themselves, taking in the familiar feeling of being Sailor Scouts for the first time in years. Excitement and a large morale boost went into each of them, as well as determination to see Jedite defeated.

Jedite snickered, his revenge was finally starting. "Hope you're ready to be destroyed, Sailor Scouts!"


	3. Chapter 3

Luna looked for Serena frantically, almost giving up on more than one occasion, but she remembered that the other scouts would need Serena's help. And with that in thought she kept on running, but saying aloud, "Where…WHERE would she be…!" _A special place…where Darien? Where would you want to meet Serena , a place she would know nonetheless!_ And she knew, nearly wishing she had thought of it sooner!

As Serena waited in front of the old jewelry store, she kept looking in the glass, seeing the reflection of a woman in her early twenties, but when she closed and opened her eyes, she felt herself travel back in time to when she was 15…young, clueless, but normal like she was now.

Pouting over a test where she scored a 30 out of 100. She remembered _that _way too clearly. Crumpling the paper up, she had thrown it behind her. And the ball of paper landed on someone's head. That was the first time he called her meatball head. A name she despised, but she also remembered that he…was cute.

That was the time, at the time, that she met Darien. Serena had believed he was a jerk, a cute jerk. And something clicked between them then. It took her awhile to find out he was Tuxedo Mask, a handsome masked vigilante who threw roses to rescue her whenever she was in danger.

Reverting back to present day, Serena sighed, wondering where her prince was. She had missed him the most. Last time they had seen each other was when he had to leave for America. Serena remembered that day with deep pain in her heart, tears had filled her eyes as she watched him board the plane. She promised him that she would not cry while he was with her, just for him.

She kept her promise, right until the plane had gone out of sight, and she fell to her knees and had started to cry. Ashamed that she was, she felt a sudden anxiety when he had mailed her, promising to see her once she graduated. That was the only reason she studied hard in school, to have Darien be proud of her when he saw her grades. She got a lot better than when she was in grade school.

_But when will he ever see the progress I have made? Would he be proud otherwise? …Would he still love me?_ "Throw me a rose my love, to answer my plea…" she said to the wind and sky, sincerely hoping to have a red rose fall to her waiting hands.

"Serena!"

The girl fell out of her trance once she heard a familiar voice call out her name. She turned and saw that her cat was running up to her, out of breath and exhausted, "Luna? Something wrong?"

The cat could barely speak between breaths, but got one word out, "Jedite…"

As if someone turned on a switch in Serena's brain, "The Negaverse? Alright! I'm on it!"

"Serena!"

The girl looked at the cat, "Yeah?"

"You've changed…" she remembered when she had to nearly scratch her to get her to transform back in the old days.

Serena winked at Luna, before raising her hand up, "Eternal Moon Power!" A whirlwind of white feathers sun around Serena, and a pair of white angelic wings appeared on her back before they turned into an armor-like accessory. Within moments, the rest of her outfit completed itself, and a golden aura emitted from the Sailor Scout of the Moon. "Still got it."

Jedite fought the scouts to a standstill, beating them back with the energy he was getting from the tower. The scouts, while determination got them far enough, they could not hold back Jedite's ever-growing power.

Mercury was able to explain his staggering energy power, she knew from her mini-laptop that he was getting power from the tower, however there was no visible mechanism to destroy to cut off his power supply. He was like a walking generator.

The scouts were stuck, plain and simple.

"I thought this was going to be fun, I just wished your leader was here to witness your demise—"

"Careful what you wish for, Jedite!"

The soldier looked over behind the scouts. She appeared to be much different than the last time he had seen her, with angel wings and different colors to her uniform, but it was who it appeared to be. "About time."

Pointing at him, and speaking in a determined tone, "I stand for love, truth, and justice too! I am sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!" Her body began to emit a golden yellow color, and the scouts joined Sailor Moon, standing together, "And this time, we'll finish you, Jedite! We're the Sailor Scouts!"

Jedite laughed, "Oh really? My power grows with each passing moment, and even if you do look different and acquired a new power, your power pales in comparison to mine!" He put his hands together, and he began to create a large ball of energy, before firing it at the Scouts. They all scattered, while Sailor Moon flew upwards. Jedite threw many smaller energy spheres at her, but she dodged them all with little trouble.

_This guy obviously has not kept up to date with the Sailor Scouts, this guy was nothing compared to Galaxia or Diamond or even Dr. Tomo._ Serena pulled out her scepter, and flew directly at Jedite, getting within two feet of his sneering face before she crashed into an energy shield.

He forced her back, and though she landed on her feet, Sailor Moon knew that all she had done was prove a frontal attack was _not_ gonna work. _Well, I'll try something else—_

-and soon saw Jedite retaliate with a barrage of spheres—

_-As soon as I get the heck out of the way!_

As Sailor Moon tried to avoid having her head blown off, the other scouts tried to do the same. They were unable to help, since the barrage seemingly had a mind of its own, and Sailor Moon was all by herself.

And as lucky as Sailor Moon could be, she couldn't avoid them forever.

Sailor Moon groaned with the next hit, had been hit a few times since her failed attempt to get behind Jedite. _He must be weak somewhere—_

Another blow to the stomach sent her flying, and she landed chest first in the dirt. "Okay…that really hurt…"

"It's going to get worse the longer we fight," Jedite said, snickering.

_Okay…maybe he was not as easy as I remembered…_

Lifting a hand, Jedite's hand began to take the shape of a sword. A sword comprised of energy, ready to stab anything, especially a Sailor Scout like her.

"Prepare to die, Sailor Moon!"

Serena gasped and closed her eyes, waiting for the blow that would end her life.

Then, something happened.

Jedite gasped. Not out of effort, but pain. Serena opened her eyes, and to her shock and amazement, a single red rose with the stem impaled deep in Jedite's chest right where his heart was, and he was looking at it with horror in his eyes. "W-where…did that…"

An all too familiar voice echoed in the night, "Heh, you should have learned your lesson the first time, Jedite."

Serena looked around frantically, and standing atop a light pole, red lined cape flapping in the breeze and wearing a masquerade mask, "Never mess with the Sailor Scouts, or suffer the wrath of me, Tuxedo Mask!"

_Tuxedo Mask!_ Serena thought with glee. She stood up, "So nice to see you again, Tuxedo Mask!" _He did come!_

"Just like old times, huh Sailor Moon?" he said, with a small smile forming across his lips.

_I'll forgive him for being late now, but I'll be sure to verbally abuse him later…_ She thought to herself.

"How dare you interfere with my fight!" Jedite screamed, sending a barrage of energy spheres at both Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. Both of them moved out of the way, and were much quicker than before.

"What…?" Jedite could feel his power starting to wane, but why? The sun wouldn't be up for hours! Turning around, the Negaverse minion noticed the other scouts standing in front of the Tower, and the power had been turned off!

They had cut off his power supply!

Mercury, who was holding her computer in her hand, shouted out, "I cut his power! Do it Sailor Moon!"

Jedite turned in shock, and saw Sailor Moon, glowing a brighter gold color, and twirling a scepter in her right hand, "Silver Moon—"

-Jedite put up his hands, forming a barrier with all the power he had—

-Crystal Power—"

The scepter glowed red, and hearts started to shoot out of it, -Kiss!"

The force of the attack slammed into the barrier, but it held only for a split second, and a bright light engulfed Jedite.

And when it subsided, he was no more.


	4. Chapter 4

The people who had lost their energy started to revive.

Sailor Moon hugged her scepter, "Doesn't matter how long it's been, I still got it." As soon as her scepter disappeared, she looked around for Tuxedo Mask, but instead of finding him, she saw a rose lying at her feet, with a small note with the words, _"Where we met. Meet me there. TM."_ She got the idea, and ran off without telling her friends.

The scouts got away before the authorities arrived, but they had not changed back to their civilian forms. Luna guessed they were savoring the time they were in their Scout uniforms. That or they forgot _how_ to de-transform.

"That was quite a refresher, wasn't it?" Rei said aloud.

Lita nodded, "It felt good to fight evil again, even if it might have been for the last time."

Ami shook her head, "I'm sure something will pop up again, and when that happens, we'll just have to take up arms again."

Mina clenched her fist, "Right!"

Luna was smiling, "It's so nice to see us all back together in true form, right Serena? Serena?"

The scouts looked around, and noticed that their leader was gone.

Mina then remembered, "Darien did show up during the fight, so that could only mean—"

She didn't need to say anymore, as everyone knew what was happening.

Their surprise was on.

With Jedite defeated, again, Serena followed the trail of Tuxedo Mask. She had not changed back to her civilian clothes. She is a bit embarrassed to admit how she couldn't remember how to change forms.

She arrived at the jewelry store, by flying no less, and looked for the masked man to appear.

She didn't have to wait long, as a rose fell from the sky, right into her waiting hands. She smiled as she flew onto the roof—

-And waiting for her at the top, was Tuxedo Mask, smiling with his right hand out for her, "Serena."

She gave her right hand to his even before she landed, "Darien…"

"Sorry I'm late in greeting you," he said, meaning what he said.

Serena waved him off, "It's alright, I know you wanted to wait until the last minute to surprise me. Its rather sweet of you, if you ask me."

_It's actually the girls' fault, not telling me to arrive until they called…and never calling to begin with._ Darien thought, he had been trying to stick to the surprise that Mina had conjured up, but things went out of hand the other day, when Darien's plane arrived later than it was supposed to. Because of that, he had arrived in Tokyo just minutes before he transformed into Tuxedo Mask. And arrived in the nick of time.

"You're looking nice, how does it feel being back in uniform after so long?"

Serena checked herself out, "To tell you the truth, I was surprised that I could still fit in this outfit." _If only this once…maybe…_ "However, you still look awfully handsome in yours, as always."

He laughed, "Yeah."

Serena looked him in the eyes, "I missed you, Darien."

He took off the glasses he wore, "I missed you too, Serena…"

As their lips met for their kiss, Serena couldn't help but notice that Ami had been right all along:

Their love had only grown stronger.


	5. Author's Note

Readers, if you have read this story and enjoyed it as much as I did writing it and want the story to continue, please say so in the reviews. I am up for writing another few chapters or so for the story!

-Dakk Tribal


	6. Chapter 5

Tuxedo Mask held onto Sailor Moon's hands as they parted from their kiss, both smiling and looking right into each others eyes. The scout's grip on his hands were as tight as his, and Sailor Moon started to giggle.

"Something wrong?" Darien asked, not knowing what caused this to happen.

"Not really, I just haven't had a kiss like that in so long, it sends a shock through my body," Serena said, leaning in for another kiss, and Darien was more than willing to oblige. It did something to him more than just send a shock through him to taste Serena's lips again after so long apart.

After that was done, Serena heard sirens from below, and sure enough an ambulance sped right on by on the street. "Must be heading to the tower—"

"Look again, Serena."

The girl had to look, and to her surprise the ambulance was actually heading in the opposite direction, _away_ from the tower. "That's different. I was sure that it has going to clean up Jedite's mess. Wonder what has happened now?"

"You think that there's another Negaverse monster on the loose?"

"If that's so, we'll all have to be on guard, Darien," Serena spoke, a seriousness in her tone. As unfamiliar as Darien was about his girlfriend's newfound courage, it satisfied him to know that she had changed a little. For the better as well.

Serena felt him put his hand on her right shoulder, and she put her right hand on his, "it doesn't matter though, since we can tackle anything that comes our way."

"That's right, Serena," Darien said, and noticed that Sailor Moon's wings faded right before his eyes.

It took a few seconds from Serena to notice it as well, "What's…going on?" Soon enough, her uniform was fading, and before long she was back in her normal clothes. This was as unexpected as anything else before, and Serena asked Darien what was wrong, and she was shocked to see he was no longer dressed as Tuxedo Mask anymore, more like dressed like he normally would be during the day.

Darien had already come to a conclusion, and he shared it with Serena, "Maybe, its because you haven't transformed in so long the Crystal isn't used to it."

Serena came to a conclusion of her own, "Too much too fast, you mean?"

Darien nodded, and Serena couldn't help but laugh. She knew he was more than likely right.

"Right Darien, anyway, it is getting kinda late," Serena said, putting her arms around Darien's waist. "It's a shame, I would rather stay out here with you, Darien."

Darien put his arms around Serena, "I would to, but I'd rather not see you catch a cold out here because of me."

Serena personally wouldn't care if she caught the swine flu in a blizzard, she'd rather be with her love all night long than let him go again. But common sense prevailed, "Would you…want to go on a date tomorrow?"

This time it was Darien's turn to laugh, "Of course. Time and place?"

Serena spoke in her usual self, "How about first thing in the morning at my old house? Mom still makes a great breakfast."

Darien laughed again, "How about lunch? I'll be finding a place to live first."

"You know you could always move into the house with me."

Darien was surprised she had said that, "You mean me live with you?"

Serena nodded, "It'd be a dream come true, Darien!" _At least for me anyway!_

"Not too sure your mother would like that—"

She grabbed his arm tightly, "Oh, mom's been digging you since she first met you. Dad's the problem but I'm sure we can sweet talk him into letting you stay."

Darien surrendered, no point in arguing with a girl as stubborn as Serena, not that he had to remind himself of her antics, he knew her like the back of his hand. "Very well, Serena, as long as your parents allow it. I'll stay with you."

Serena's eyes began to water and she wrapped her arms around Darien's neck, "oh Darien! Thank you!"

Despite not being able to breathe for a second or two, Darien couldn't help but smile.

The ambulance drove off, the victim of the newest attack in the back of it. The doctor inside was dumbfounded. The victim was a girl, a sophomore and it looked as if she had been drained of blood.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Oh holy $#!T, is this what I think it is?! *Takes a chill pill and a sip of Pepsi* Okay, yes, it is a new chapter for this story, finally done what with Valentine's Day just around the corner I decided to look around my vault and work on stories that sure could be finished now if I worked hard enough. Actually, since I heard the news about the new Sailor Moon anime coming out later this summer I got to thinking about the series and now I feel rather energized about doing this. Hope this goes well, unlike my other multi-chaptered stories.

* * *

><p>As expected, Serena's father didn't take the idea of letting Darien stay in the house as well as Serena had hoped. Still, she hadn't expected that he would have yelled out his answer at the front door during the early morning while everyone was heading to school and work. He had yelled 'NO!' at the top of him lungs and then proceeded to slam the door in Serena and Darien's faces.<p>

"I am not allowing the older boyfriend of my dear daughter to be staying in the same house!" Serena heard her father yell and she slumped her shoulders, _Dad...I swear you're embarrassing me...I'm not a teenager anymore for crying out loud!_

Luckily for both her and Darien, Serena's mother became a voice of reason. That or she just ignored him. "Of course, Darien you can stay here until you have to leave again," she had said with a smile. _Looks like Serena's intuition was right_, Darien thought, being grateful that his girlfriend's dad hadn't come at him with a baseball bat.

Yet.

Serena's father was in the kitchen, kept there by his wife so Darien could get situated in the attic. Not too bad as there was room and air-conditioning, it was where Rini stayed while she was in the present time and he never heard her complain about it. Her bed was still in the same place where she left it too. While Darien went and made himself at home, Serena had the arduous task of explaining to her father that she was NOT going to be doing anything with Darien while he was in the house. Of course, she was desperately hoping to avoid anything beginning with the letter 'S', lest her father would jump to a very disastrous conclusion.

Eventually, after nearly an hour of arguing, Serena's diplomacy prevailed and her father caved in, although he tried to warn her that if there was any form of inappropriate behavior that Darien would be kicked out faster than a bad puppy Serena had left the room by the time he had finished. Even though her mother had already said he could stay, Serena grew excited that her father had given in to the point where she had to tell Darien as soon as possible.

"Glad to hear your dad isn't gonna kill me," Darien had said upon hearing the news.

Serena was sure excited about it, but as she sat on Darien's bed, she felt the urge to ask him a question that had been lingering in the back of her mind. "When will you have to return to the States?"

Darien had seen this coming, but he was a man who thought ahead and made sure to be at least one step ahead of Serena. She grew upset when he never answered her questions, that he learned from past experience. "A couple weeks. Then I have to go back and finish my term, after that I'll be done."

Serena put her hands on her lap, "You'll be coming back here though, won't you?"

'_I'm not too sure about that._' That would've been Darien's first answer, but he didn't want his girlfriend to get worried. Of course he wanted to return to Japan and hopefully be with her for the rest of his life, but like so many times in their past the best hoped plans usually didn't turn out as well as they had hoped. The flight to Japan itself had cost him a great deal of his money, and he had just enough for a return trip. Still, he smiled optimistically at the thought of being with Serena until the time came where he had to worry about it. In the meantime, he let it slide. "Let's not think about that, okay?"

Getting out of his bed, Darien helped Serena stand up, and the two locked eyes. She was hoping he would say something more positive, since she never was one to take bad news that well.

"I've got time, so why don't we go out and have some fun?"

"Like what?" Serena asked.

"Well, we could always go to that amusement park you always liked, if its still around that is." Candyland Amusement Park was what he was talking about, one of the first times he and Serena had been in the same area. Unfortunately that was during the time that the two were on opposite side of the friendship line. Seemed like another lifetime in both their minds.

Serena smiled and nodded once, laughing a little bit as she grabbed Darien's hands with her own, "Just the two of us, I hope."

"Huh? You don't want the others to come along?"

Serena started to sweat nervously, "Ah well you know...I uh, never got to see you yesterday what with you being late and all-"

Darien knew her too well. Right to the point where he could play around with her, "Or is it that you just want to have me all to yourself?"

_AH Right in the kisser!_ Serena thought, knowing that Darien had hit the bulls-eye. Still, she had one little trump card up her sleeve, one she knew no one could beat.

Darien didn't see it coming either. That look. Eyes big and appearing as if she were going to cry, but with a smile on her face. Serena's begging look, "Please let it just be you and me? Please?"

_Okay, if I refuse she'll ball like a child...I'll let her have her way this time._' "Okay, Serena, you win."

Oh boy did Serena light up like a Christmas tree when Darien had said that. So much so that she put her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug and nearly screamed his name. Darien had put his arms around Serena's waist, feeling a bit happier about the mood changing.

What he didn't end up liking was when he heard the attic door open and Serena's dad saw his daughter in her boyfriend's arms, the look on face not too pleased with what he saw.


	8. Chapter 7

The next day, Serena was up and at it by eight in the morning, which surprised her mother and father. Before high school, Serena's sleeping habits were generally to sleep in until noon no matter what day it was. Fortunately for her benefit, being in college meant getting up early no matter how tired she was and after a month of whining and such she eventually got over it. In fact, she grew to love waking up before everyone else just to see their reactions to her new habit.

This morning was a surprise for not only her parents but also Darien as well. He came down nearly a half hour after Serena did and was surprised to see his girlfriend already hard at work making breakfast.

"Serena? Is that really you?" Darien asked, remembering how much Serena detested cooking. Of course that was years ago.

"Yup, it's me alright, just finishing up breakfast for you," she said, laying a plate full of pancakes with a decent amount of syrup and butter on the top. There was also bacon and eggs, and if before Darien wasn't hungry he sure was now.

"What happened to the old Serena that preferred junk food," Darien teased, just as Serena's mother came walking in, her expression was similar to Darien's when he first came down.

Serena went and placed the frying pan down on the stove, "Morning mom!"

"Oh Serena you didn't have to do all this for us you know," she said as she sat down, and Serena's father came in next and he sat at the table.

Serena smiled, "I swore that I'd put what I learned in cooking class to good use while I am here. So, don't be shy and help yourselves."  
>Darien took a closer look at the pancake in front of him. It had red spots all over it, but Serena seemed to answer the question with her next statement.<p>

"My own original pancake recipe: strawberries."

Darien mentally gave a sigh of relief, "I was wondering why it looked that way. Most people prefer blueberries."

Serena sat down in her seat, "Yeah well, Rini left a note or two in my room detailing the recipe, but she never did say if it worked or not. So...I gave it a go."

Feeling more assured that he wouldn't regret it later, Darien placed a piece of the pancake in his mouth and started eating. To his surprise his taste buds were on overload with excitement! "Wow, Serena, this is really good!"

Serena did a victory dance in her head, but she couldn't help but pump her fist into the air in triumph. She'll be sure to thank Rini later for the recipe.

Meanwhile the television was turned on and it was a news bulletin.

"Last night, another attack was reported in the park when police discovered a woman unconscious on a bench. There was no sign of a struggle, but the EMTs on the scene have reported that the victim had suffered great deal of blood loss. No arrests have been made and even medical officials are baffled on how a healthy woman could collapse from what they have termed 'sudden anemia'. Details will be reported as soon as they are received."

Serena's father sat down and started to read the paper, "That's the second victim in three days, wonder what is going on."

The father was reading, and the mother was eating, but both Serena and Darien had lost their smiles and found themselves looking at each other. They felt something was wrong and that they might have to do something about it.

Serena remembered the night she came back from college, after Jedite had been defeated once and for all, that an ambulance had made a similar call about blood loss in a female victim. She didn't think too highly about it right away, but Luna had pointed out as usual that it was something to look into in case it happened again. The cat was right, apparently. Good thing for everyone that Serena had secretly confided with Darien about it. He had suggested to not make a big deal out of it unless there were more cases, other wise Serena would be making a big deal out of it for nothing.

Needless to say, Serena knew now was a good time to tell the others about this problem, and that they may need Scout Power to deal with it just in case.

After breakfast, Serena and Darien decided to meet with the others at Rei's grandfather's place. Of course, Darien pointed out that it would be like old times, since Rei usually had study sessions there back in middle school.

When they got there, the first thing that Serena wanted to talk about was the 'sudden anemia' attacks, but once Darien went off to talk to Rei's grandpa Serena was bombarded with questions. The most common was how Darien was surviving her dad, of course.

"Well, let's just say that I had to use a lot of diplomacy..." Serena admitted, though she secretly wished in retrospect that she had asked her mother for help right from the get go. She was grateful though that her dad was kept in check while Darien was around.

"Gee, I always wondered what dad would do when he finally met Darien, my guess was pretty close in the end," said Rei with a smile.

Ami put down the book she was reading, "Actually I always pictured Darien as a part of Serena's family-" She regretted saying that almost right away. Serena's face was all flustered and red, looking like she'd explode with embarrassment.

Truth was, she never told the others about Darien's promise ring, the ring he had given her just before he had left for America. She didn't feel the need to tell them because she felt that they would be like 'we always knew you'd be together in the end', and that was expected. She also felt it was the most personal moment she had ever had with him, and that she wanted to share with just him. That was the real reason she didn't tell them. Unfortunately it worked against her here. Ami wasn't guilty of anything because she didn't know about it.

"A-Anyway! You guys hear? there was another attack made the other night."

Mina, who was petting Artemis as he sat on her lap resting, spoke next, "The 'sudden anemia' attacks? I've noticed that some people are not going out at night due to it."

"Hold on a sec. Ami, what exactly is 'sudden anemia' anyway?" Lita said, passing a plate of her homemade cookies to Serena.

'Always leave it to the smartest girl in the room,' Luna thought to herself, sitting near the door.

Once again, Ami set her book down, closing it this time. "First off, anemia is caused by a lack of blood. Sudden anemia is usually given to those who have lost a great deal in a short amount of time."

Rei pointed out something, "Blood loss? Doesn't sound like anything from the Negaverse we've encountered before. Could this be a different enemy we're faced with here?"

Serena stood up, "Doesn't matter. If the police cannot handle this, then we'll just have to do something about it ourselves, right?"

Rei was impressed, "What do you know, the meatball head sounds like a leader. Whatever happened to the Serena who would just go and whine all the time-"

A pillow that Serena was sitting on went right into Rei's face, and Serena didn't seem pleased with what she had said, "People change you know!"

Rei threw the pillow back, "Hey! It was supposed to be a compliment! Take this!"

Mina and Artemis took off for the door, while Ami and Lita sighed in disappointment. Luna was knocked out cold within the first few pillow throws.

"Lunch anyone-hm?" Darien, who had just finished speaking with grandpa, found himself experiencing a cat fight.


	9. Chapter 8

Bruised egos were the only things hurting after the large pillow fight between Rei and Serena. Unfortunately for everyone else that had been in the room when it happened, no one was able to escape the violence. Ami and the cats had darted out of the room as soon as they saw the chance, while Rei and Mina took sides against Lita and Serena with poor Darien as the referee.

Lita had done all the work, while Serena had gotten her licks in by going after Rei, but by the end of it all there wasn't a single person not laughing.

Rei fell backwards to the floor, panting heavily; it had been awhile since she had exerted so much energy in things other than fighting. While she would never admit it, Serena was a tough opponent. "I guess…I don't have the strength to deal with you like I used to…"

Lita and Mina, who were almost on top of each other in a dog pile, agreed. Serena had somehow gotten herself stuck under the table though no one seemed to know how. Ami returned to the room, making sure to look if the coast was clear, "So, who won?"

Not wanting to talk, both Serena and Rei raised their hands to signal the victory for themselves, but Darien stood with his hands in his pant pockets. "Let's just call it a tie and leave it at that."

Luna nudged at the television remote until she got it into Serena's hands, "Well, while you all were acting like teenagers again, I found something even more intriguing. One that all of you should watch." The cat pressed the button for the TV, and it went right to the news channel.

The headline read: ANEMIA ATTACKER STRIKES AGAIN!

The video feed showed a young man being moved into an ambulance, with a male reporter standing in the foreground looking at the camera. "This is now the fifth victim in the anemia attacks this week alone, and while authorities are baffled at who or what is causing this string of crimes they pledge to find them at all costs. The only thing they know is that the attacks happen at night, and that they were taking place in the park, but that is all they are willing to share. Report more at eight."

The channel shut off, and Luna jumped up onto the table, "You hear that? That makes five!"

Lita sat up, "Three more were found? Last I checked there were supposed to be two!"

Rei began setting the table right again, and Serena went ahead and got herself fixed up again. "Well, guess what we're going to be doing tonight, Serena."

Serena nodded once, "Right, we're going to scout the park, and catch this bad man."

Ami set her book down on the table, finished with reading it for the time being, "Easier said than done. If this person or whatever hangs around the park at the time of these attacks, then for sure the police will have the park closed off at night. That much I am predicting."

Mina agreed, "Ami's right. If we want to catch this guy we have to find a way into the park without getting caught."

Artemis crawled into Mina's lap, "Maybe if we're lucky we won't have to worry about that."

Rei and Serena were on one end of the park, Lita and Mina at the other end and Ami and Darien remained on the sidelines in case they were needed.

Like Ami had predicted, there were police lining the streets. One at every street corner, every sign, and even every trash can it seemed. It was starting to be hard not to get spotted.

Serena and Rei were hiding behind bushes on the edge of the park, avoiding a close call with a police officer's flashlight shining in their direction, "Well, worst case scenario is we get caught, just say we're doing a project or something," Serena told Rei, who smacked her in the back of the head.

"Sure blondie, like they will believe that," Rei said sarcastically, proceeding to imitate an innocent voice, "'Sorry officer, we're just looking for fireflies we hope to dissect at school, hope we didn't interrupt your work!'".

"Hey, I'm not exactly the brains of this operation!" Serena pouted. She hadn't exactly been given a chance to voice her opinion into the plan Rei and Ami had conjured up. The plan was to do a quick sweeping of the park, end to end in less than twenty minutes. By then the cops would be after them and then they could escape. The only problem was to not transform unless it was necessary. No point in making the police think the Sailor scouts were a part of the problem when they just wanted to solve it themselves before anyone else got hurt.

Rei reached for the walkie-talkie Serena had borrowed from her brother, "Hey guys, we're moving into the park. How's it going on your end?"

Some static followed by Lita's voice, "We're already inside, let's see if we can catch this jerk. Stay alert."

Rei and Serena nodded at each other and kept low as they went into the park.

Thanks in part to the curfew that had been put into effect, Lita was glad that virtually nobody was around to see her and Mina waltz around the park late at night, hiding behind trees and bushes while moving forward. So far there had been no sign of anything in the park save for some stray cats. Artemis himself stuck to the shadows, pointing out his white fur made him easier to spot in the street lights that lined the sidewalks. Mina had to tie her hair up into a pony tail to stop it from getting caught in the branches of the bushes she tried to hide in, and she already had scrapes on her knees from being in a thorn bush, all thanks to the short skirt she wore not able to cover her legs. Lita had been smart enough to wear pants at least, so it was different for her to see Mina dressed in a skirt.

"Should've worn something more suitable, Mina," Lita said, trying to sound polite.

"Well, believe it or not, I dressed this way for maneuverability, guess I got the good and bad sides of it," Mina replied, following Lita to a tree. The two were making good progress, the center of the park was marked by a really large fountain and already they were getting close to it.

"Should we call Serena and ask how they are doing?" Mina asked.

Lita shook her head and ducked for another tree, "Nah, they're probably still at it from earlier. Good thing it wasn't my idea to put those two together."

"Whose was it then?"

"Darien's."

Mina looked confused but the need to continue the mission was more important; she left it alone and went on ahead.

Not too far from the fountain now, Mina and Lita stopped to finally check up on the others, "Lita to Ami, hello?"

Ami's voice came over the radio, "We're here, you find anything?"

Lita spoke, "No with a capital N, it's like a cemetery out here. What about you two?"

"My palmtop isn't getting anything. And we haven't seen anything either. Whatever this thing is it's probably hiding now that everyone is after it."

Mina agreed, "Well, once Serena and Rei get over here we'll call it a night. I'm starting to get tired."

"Speaking of our friends," Lita said, peeking out from the bush she was hiding behind, she saw a flicker of a little flashlight on the far side of the fountain. A signal from Rei. "Looks like they made it over here in good time." That surprised both of them.

Mina sighed, "Now, let's head on home—" Mina peeked over the side of the bush, back the way they came and saw a pair of thin red eyes looking back at her. It took her less than a second to scream.

Rei and Serena both stood right up when they heard Mina's scream. They instantly forgot about being covert and they jumped out from behind the bush. The first thing they noticed was Lita tossed through the air. She landed with a thud on the concrete, and sat up holding her left arm, "That thing!"

Rei ran up to Lita, "What happened!?"

Another scream from Mina was heard, and a black something jumped out of the bushes, pulling the struggling Mina by the arm. Lita got back up on her feet and ran at the thing, but it had swatted her aside with great ease. The poor woman went flying again, this time landing hard in the pool of the fountain.

Serena gasped, but soon her shock turned to anger, "Whatever you are! Show yourself!"

The shadow obliged, taking form right before the eyes of the other two scouts. A tall black mass, all black save for the white mask it wore over its face. The eyes were red, bright red, the hands white with long claw like finger nails.

And whatever it was, it held Mina in its arms, and she appeared to be drifting between consciousness and not.

"Let my friend go right now!"

The stranger raised its hand to silence Serena, "Hold your tongue."

Shocked at how it could speak, Serena nevertheless did as it said, not wanting to get Mina hurt any further.

"This one…had a lot more than I bargained for. Delicious nonetheless. Quite tasty…"

Even though she had just met this thing, Serena grimly noted how it made her skin crawl. "What are you…?"

The thing raised its hand again, pointing it at Rei and Serena. A red electric current went through the arm and a bolt shot out of the tip of its finger. No time to dodge, the two scouts were hit with what felt like the force of a thousand needles. Both screamed in shear agonizing pain, and while Rei fell to her knees with her arms clutching her stomach, Serena took every ounce of strength she had to stay on her feet.

The stranger placed the comatose Mina on the ground before moving forward, "Stronger than you look. Impressive."

Rei couldn't move, the pain was too much for her to handle, and even Serena had trouble trying to get her legs to move. She couldn't even reach for her crystal, she was defenseless.

That is until a red rose cam and pierced the ground in the space between Serena and her attacker.

The stranger stopped and saw near the fountain stood Tuxedo Mask, and he was not looking too pleased obviously. "Take another step and you will pay!"

The thing snickered, "Lucky for you, I've had my fill with your friend here." He turned his face to Serena, his eyes like knives going through hers, "I am the Phantom, and we will meet again."

The light laughter followed by the figured falling straight down, as if he had gone down to the depths of darkness before vanishing.

Ami carefully helped Lita out of the Fountain, obviously hurting in the left arm, which was dangling like it was broken. Darien, who quickly returned to his normal attire, helped Serena while Rei went to Mina.

Soon enough, the commotion caused the police to investigate the disturbance. Everyone present was then loaded up and taken to the hospital to treat Rei, Lita and especially Mina, who had just become victim number six of the Phantom's spree.

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><p><strong>AN:** So, now we know who the hell is attacking everyone, will Mina be alright? How will the scouts be able to fight something like this? Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	10. Chapter 9

_"Local authorities have just called in the latest victim of the mysterious anemia attacker. Number six in the steadily rising crime spree is Mina _, a college student on vacation back home here in Tokyo. Wandering around in the park late tonight, Mina was attacked near the fountain you see behind me, and the culprit made off into the night before police could catch him. Multiple witnesses say the man dressed all in black and called itself 'the Phantom'. There were others around Mina when she was attacked, all friends of hers. A couple of them were injured in the attack and are currently being treated at Tokyo Hospital-"_

* * *

><p>The media reporters were told to wait outside Mina's room while her friends were with her. Darien was outside giving the police more details about what he had seen while being discreet about why he and a bunch of college girls were laundering around the park in the middle of the night. He not only volunteered to explain everything, but Darien knew he was the only one who could talk at the moment. The scouts were all in disarray over what happened.<p>

Rei had received bad scorch marks on her chest and stomach, the doctors who tended to her said it looked as if someone had taken a red hot poker and ran it across her skin. Rei had trouble breathing because of the wounds, and Serenity had suffered similar burns but for some reason they were nowhere near as bad as Rei's.

Lita had been worse off. When the Phantom had thrown her into the fountain she landed in a bad way and broke her left arm in two places. Her arm was in a sling and she had a small bandage across her cheek from a minor laceration she received in the throw.

However, the real story was Mina. She was barely conscious after having her blood sucked out of her body. There were no openings to see how it had been done, but she was pale and had not spoken a word since the attack. Bruises were up and down both her arms which the police said had been signs of a struggle. She lay in the hospital bed, resting quietly while Ami and Serena sat in chairs next to her bed.

Ami was busy with her palmtop, but even with three of her friends terribly hurt before her, Serena felt the worst. She had seen her friends get attacked and she wasn't able to help them. Because of her powerlessness, Rei and Lita were hurt and Mina was in a hospital bed. None of this was helping her mind at all.

The door opened and Darien stepped inside, "News reporters are all outside. Best to avoid going out there." He looked over the room, and all he saw were grim faces. "How's Mina doing?"

Ami lowered her palmtop and closed it, "This is more than a simple blood loss. Mina's energy has been taken as well. This thing...this Phantom, wanted to drain her entirely. It would have killed her too, had we not tried to intervene."

Lita sat stood next to the door, "But it didn't make a difference. That thing caught us with our guard down, and Mina got the worst of it."

"Still, least we have some clue as to what we are dealing with now. It's some sort of demon from the looks of it," Rei said, putting her shirt back on her body gingerly. The cloth touching her burns made it hard to not cry out in pain.

"A demon with an ego. 'I am the Phantom...' sounds like a corny line from a horror film," Lita said sarcastically.

Ami put her hand to her chin, "So, what's the plan? I mean, we're now down three scouts. I don't know if we'll be able to take him with us not at our full strength."

Rei shook her head, "You better not have counted me in that calculation."

"Of course I did, Rei, you're not at one hundred percent," Ami said. She knew Rei wasn't as badly hurt as Lita or Mina, but it would still be a problem for Rei to even stand with what injuries she had sustained. "Like it or not but you can't fight in your condition."

Rei wouldn't back down, "Well excuse me! I represent the planet of fire, these burns aren't a problem!"

Darien poked her in the side with one of her fingers, and Rei dropped to her knees in pain.

"That was nothing more than a tap and you're already crying. Take Ami's advice and rest."

Rei growled, but accepted what was fact. She couldn't try to fight with her injuries. She was benched, and no matter how much she hated it she had to accept it.

"So then, that leaves myself, Ami, and Serena to fight the Phantom. But, after we put up resistance, he might not be willing to show himself now that we are after him," Darien said, taking a seat next to Serena and putting an arm around her shoulders.

"No. He's not afraid of us. I saw it in his eyes, the way he looked at us, he was mocking us," Serena said in a low tone. Her words rang true, and though she had only caught a glimpse of the Phantom's face, it had terrified her down to her bones.

Everyone remained silent for quite awhile after that. That's because this was one of the rare times that Serena had uttered her fears and they couldn't convince her to not be scared, mainly because they were scared too.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Well, that was dour wasn't it? The scouts are pretty beat up following the attack by the Phantom and now they have to figure out how to fight this enemy. What will happen next? Find out when the next chapter is out on September 12th!


	11. Chapter 10

It was near the evening when Ami left, saying that she had school business to attend to and that she would be back before long. Darien and Serena left the hospital soon after with Lita and Rei in tow. Rei was still sporting the fact that she was unable to fight, and it hurt her fiery pride to stay in the back and watch from afar. Lita had been told it would be a few weeks before she'd be able to use her arm again, and that irked her too, though less visibly than Rei.

Serena had maintained silence since the confrontation, and she was forced to speak when she got home. No surprise, her mother was worried and her father was livid over what happened. No doubt they had seen their daughter being questioned by the cops and seeing her with Darien at the same time didn't make things any better.

Her mother's first response had been, 'Are you alright?!' and her father's had been 'what were you thinking!?' Serena had noticed that he hadn't been looking at her but Darien, like he suspected something.

Serena tried her best to hide her fear and managed a smile, "its okay. We're alright."

Her mother had to give her a hug, and Serena hissed due to the light burns on her chest and back. Her mother shook her head, "Alright? No, but at least you're both in one piece. Go on upstairs and rest. You definitely need it."

Serena's father had a dumbfounded look on his face as he looked at his wife; he thought there would be more to it than that.

Darien was glad it turned out that way, he hadn't slept for very long at the hospital, the chairs obviously weren't meant to be slept in. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Yeah, thanks mom," said Serena, walking slowly up the stairs with Darien following close behind.

The young woman fell on her mattress before burying her face in a pillow. She was plenty tired, but she didn't try to sleep. She was still reeling from what had happened, and it was because of that that she couldn't eat either.

Not until her mother asked her in person if she wanted to have dinner at least, then Serena couldn't refuse. She ate enough to satisfy herself, but kept quiet and avoided the questioning eyes of her father. Luckily her mother kept him on a firm leash, kept him from mentioning anything.

Darien also kept to the code of being quiet, he was thinking of how to handle the situation. The Phantom was not like the foes from the Negaverse, it seemed more supernatural than flesh and bone, the way it moved and its featureless appearance. 'Guess we'll find out about it when we fight it again.'

He just hoped that Serena would be ready, because right now it seemed her mind was more with her friend back at the hospital.

At the hospital...

The little white cat Artemis remained in hiding under Mina's bed, being careful of the orderlies walking the halls. Visiting hours were over and yet he seemed to be waiting for someone. Well, in truth he was. He was secretly hoping for the Phantom to come back. He didn't know why he thought it would come to Mina again, but that's what he felt. A hunch is what Luna called it.

Luna had left with Serena and Darien earlier, asking him to keep an eye on the hospital, but Artemis had calmly said he wasn't planning on leaving Mina alone no matter the reason. He was staying where he was, and nothing was going to make him do otherwise.

Mina hadn't moved a muscle, and Artemis had heard the doctors say she was in a light coma, and that it would be hard to tell when she would wake up.

Noticing the door was finally closed; Artemis got out from under the bed and then climbed on top of it, curling up near Mina's slightly cool left hand.

He didn't know what else to do other than be by her side, so he whispered, "Come on, Mina...fight it."

After the really silent dinner, Serena and Darien took to their rooms without speaking much to each other. After whispering good night to each other, Serena had quietly closed her door and then went to bed.

She didn't sleep for very long, somewhere around five hours, and it was well past two in the morning. It was then that her mind was invaded by images of the Phantom harming her friends again, followed by Darien trying to fight it and being defeated too. He had appeared so beat up and bloody that she could feel it was real, and she shouted out his name as she woke up.

Sitting up in her bed drenched in a cold sweat, Serena slowly got out of bed and starred into her mirror across the room. She seemed paler than the moonlight, and she buried her face in her hands.

"Just a few days ago...I was arguably the happiest person alive. My friends and I got back together, and even the love of my life was back with me. Then...he shows up to ruin everything." Serena stood up, taking her locket from her bedside table; the heart shaped trinket began to chime an all too familiar tune. It sounded like the locket Darien had given her years ago, a soothing melody meant to empower the happier thoughts and remind you of what is most important.

Of course, what was most important to Serena were her friends. Ami, Rei, Lita, Mina...Darien... They were all important to her, and she felt like she had let them get hurt when the Phantom attacked. If something even more terrible were to happen to them...

_'No!_' Serena shook her head frantically, _'That won't happen. It just won't...'_ She gripped her locket tightly, "I'll fight to prevent that."

Serena now felt a sense of empowerment come over her, and she knew what she had to do. She raised her locket above her head, "Eternal Moon Power!"

Darien's eyes shot open like he had been doused with cold water and the first thing that came to his mind is it had something to do with Serena. Just to make sure he climbed out of bed and went down to her room, and saw a light flash from the inside. Opening the door he didn't see Serena standing there but Sailor Moon all prepped and ready to go.

While he was a bit taken aback that she's transformed in her own house, Darien didn't feel like arguing with her. He knew what she was planning to do. "Going out, Sailor Moon?"

She took a deep breath, "I'm going after the Phantom."

Darien went into the room, lightly closing the door behind him, "You think you can handle him on your own?"

Serena lowered her head, "No, I don't know, but it's better than beating myself up." She raised her head again, starring up into Darien's eyes, "What he did to those people...as well as us, is unacceptable and I won't tolerate it anymore."

"Serena..."

"Darien, don't try to stop me."

Understanding what Serena was prepared for, Darien pulled out a red rose, "No, I didn't think you'd listen to me anyway. You're pretty boneheaded when you got that look."

Serena genuinely smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours as she saw her lover go from Darien to Tuxedo Mask right in front of her.

Tuxedo Mask fixed his top hat and adjusted his mask, "I just thought I'd lend you a hand."

Serena had already started opening her window, putting a leg on the other side, "Then let's make him pay."

Darien watched Serena hop out the window, and feeling optimistic, he followed.


	12. Update

I know I put this story on the back burner way back when, but the good news is i plan to change that!

Besides working and doing NaNoWriMo and just having a rather difficult time in life, I did a bit of soul searching during this past month and one of the things i decided to do was follow a new motto:

"Finish what you start."

I went through all my stories and thought i could continue this story. I'm not doing it for myself but for all my faithful readers.

Starting soon, you will see this story get updated with a new chapter!

See you then,

Dakk Tribal


	13. Chapter 11

A/N: Again, sorry for the late posting, I had many problem this year and i finally got back into the groove. Also, if there is an inconsistency please bear with me I am fairly rusty at writing.

In the yellow light of the candles in her room Rei finished redressing her burn wounds, which had not gotten any better since the attack. The wounds had made it hard for her to breathe, and as such she couldn't the fact she was in pain. Her grandfather didn't ask how she had gotten hurt; he didn't know Rei had been in the park. How he had not noticed Rei didn't know either.

The burns were more than a problem for Rei. Not just the discomfort but the fact that she wasn't able to help Serena fight the Phantom. Normally she would have argued with her friend, but Serena and Darien had told her that they would handle the situation. She decided to let the decision go with her leader.

Looking out the window of her room, her eyes going right to the full moon, Rei took one candle in her hands, "Don't you let Mina down Serena…"

She blew out the candle, and climbed under the covers.

Ami was waiting near the park. The police had set up a massive quarantine around the park, where it encased not just the park but also the surround city blocks. Because of that Ami had to stay a good distance away while she waited for Darien and Serena. She took to hiding between two buildings, standing at the brightly lit end of the alley. Thanks to the street light just off the curb she was able to see the park a couple blocks away. There was a barricade of police officers and cars on the street.

Still, even if she had to wait, Ami's mind went on about who this Phantom was. Her scientific mind had been abuzz ever since they encountered the creature. It was humanoid in body; it talked, and had energy absorbing powers. All of that pointed in the direction of the scouts oldest foes. Ami had gone over the facts and even her palmtop didn't have a guess as to what it was. _Nothing in the Negaverse was like it…what if it isn't from the Negaverse?_

This as well as other thoughts ran through her mind, and while she wanted to figure it all out very badly, she above all else wanted one thing. "I want to figure out what it is…but I more so want to stop it."

As the determined Ami had her hand on her Mercury pen, ready to transform at a moment's notice, she began to wonder where the battle against the Phantom will go from here…

Having transformed, Sailor Moon used her wings to fly through the starry night sky while Tuxedo Mask rode on a red motorbike on the street below.

The two made it into the city, which was quiet thanks to the curfew put in place.

Finally making it to the old jewelry shop, the two got up on the roof and saw the police barricade that went all the way around the park. Sailor Moon's wings vanished from her back, but she kept her scepter in her hand just in case.

Sailor Moon was not happy about it, "Darn it…there's all sorts of people running around. He'll never come out now." She knew just by the fact that there were people out and about in the park it was going to make finding the Phantom ten times harder.

Cane in hand Tuxedo Mask looked down at the barricade in the street below, and he silently agreed with the Scout next to him. "Don't worry. He found us last time, if anything he's more than likely waiting for us."

"Doesn't matter if he does or not, we'll find him and destroy him," SM said, her voice sounding tense. And tense was not a word TM usually added with the normally happy go lucky Scout. He didn't blame her, not with what has happened as of late. With three of her fellow scouts and best friends injured because of an unknown foe Serena felt angrier than she had ever been before. As long as she was able to stand, she wasn't going to let this monster run wild anymore.

The two backed away from the edge of the roof, and Tuxedo Mask took Sailor Moon's hand in with his own. "We better meet up with Mercury and plan our next move."

Sailor Moon nodded once, and her wings appeared on her back once again. "Yeah, I don't want to leave her alone for too—"

She gasped and pushed Tuxedo Mask aside, raising her wand to where he had been standing. The tip lit up, and a black cloud flew back to the opposite edge of the roof. Darien turned around and saw the thing that had almost got him. "What the!?"

The cloud shifted in the spot it had landed, and it took a familiar shape. It was humanoid, tall, wearing an overcoat with a silver mask covering its face, and red haunting eyes that made the two heroes shake with fright for a split second. The mask had a twisted smile on it; the mouth was red as the eyes. "You sensed me. More unpredictable than I had thought."

_The Phantom…_ Sailor Moon thought, her grip on her wand tightening.

"I see you've changed your appearance since we last met," Tuxedo Mask said, raising his cane like a sword in his hand.

"Appearances can be used in certain ways. Like to promote the illusion of mystery and even fear. Like yours is to instill hope life and hope, mine is to promote fear. And, judging from what I see now, I believe it is working."

"We don't fear you," Tuxedo Mask said sounding brave.

"Be that as it may. This is the second time you have sought me out, and out of curiosity I find myself asking why."

Sailor Moon stepped forward, but Tuxedo Mask stopped her. He shot her a look, don't get emotional. She stepped back. Truth was he wanted an answer before the battle started.

"You call yourself a Phantom, but a Phantom of what? What are you and where do you come from?"

Raising his chin slightly, the Phantom answered, "If it makes your nerves less shaky, I am not with your previous foes."

The two would have breathed a sigh of relief, but if what the Phantom had said was true, then what was he?

Sailor Moon definitely was frightened of him because of what he had said, and she was doing her best to hide her fear, but since the Phantom noticed it she didn't do a good enough job obviously. She tried to replace that fear with the anger she had welled up inside. Anger directed at the monster before her. "You hurt my friends."

The Phantom was hunched forward slightly, "Hmm…so you were the one in the park…that one girl had otherworldly power in her, not to mention the bravery the other girls showed in trying to stop me. I should have guessed you'd come back to avenge her."

Images of Rei, Mina, and Lita hurt flashed through her mind while her eyes started tear up, Sailor Moon had heard enough. "Not just her, but Rei and Lita as well!" She raised her wand, and it started to glow, as if her emotions were starting to fuel her powers, "Your reign of terror has gone on long enough, buster! In the name of the moon, I'll put an end to you!"

The Phantom started to hover above the ground by at least a foot, "If you seek my destruction, then by all means, come and get it!"

Sailor Moon then charged at the Phantom at full speed, yelling loudly as she did.


End file.
